Hey Vaj, yes thanks for the link. I haven't taken the time to really check it out. Is RL playing an acoustic guitar? My favorite CDs are his first two on acoustic.
I never learned Freight Train before but I am building a show for a museum with a train theme. There are so many interesting references to trains both physical and as metaphor in early blues. So it was natural to go back and take another look at Elizabeth's famous piece. I had sort of categorized it as light weight folk music before, and was completely blown away at how I had missed the whole point of the song, that she is fleeing! The second verse is such a poetic way to convey that information which is in such dramatic contrast to the bouncy beat. I find it doubtful that she penned that verse when she was 11 as the Wiki claims. I have heard her give different accounts of why she wrote it too. I have such a new found respect for that song and am busy doing reps on the old school cord shapes necessary to play it. I'm not trying it her way, upside down, thats for sure! It is amazing how close we were to never hearing her music at all! So many of the people in the folk revival were snatched from obscurity. My life would look very different today without that revival! Pete Seeger is the more famous brother, but it is Mike Seeger who is my gourd banjo guru. He has preserved a lot of old-time finger picking styles for guitar too. Freight Train Freight train, freight train, run so fast Freight train, freight train, run so fast Please don't tell what train I'm on They won't know what route I'm going When I'm dead and in my grave No more good times here I crave Place the stones at my head and feet And tell them all I've gone to sleep When I die, oh bury me deep Down at the end of old Chestnut Street So I can hear old Number Nine As she comes rolling by When I die, oh bury me deep Down at the end of old Chestnut Street Place the stones at my head and feet And tell them all I've gone to sleep Freight train, freight train, run so fast Freight train, freight train, run so fast Please don't tell what train I'm on They won't know what route I'm going --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Rick Archer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > From: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > On Behalf Of Vaj > Sent: Monday, May 19, 2008 3:48 PM > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] Elizabeth Cotten, was: God is a wuss > > > > > > On May 19, 2008, at 4:04 PM, Rick Archer wrote: > > > > > > Wow, thanks, Curtis, I'd never heard of Elizabeth Cotten before; > she's wonderful -- everything about her. Still alive? > > HYPERLINK > "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Cotten"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ > Elizabeth_Cotten > > I hadn't heard of her either, but my wife had. In fact, she used to be a > folk singer and Elizabeth Cotten's version of "Freight Train" is the song > she remembers best. We both enjoyed watching her. Thanks for the link. > > It's says she passed in '87. What an American treasure. I love that name > "Libba" as a nickname for Elizabeth. It sounds African. > > > > Did you get that message on the R.L. Burnside boots? > > > > Who, me? Nope. I just happened to spot the one on Elizabeth by chance, since > the thread title was "God is a wuss." > > > No virus found in this outgoing message. > Checked by AVG. > Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.23.21/1454 - Release Date: 5/19/2008 > 7:44 AM >
